Provision of postal ballots by ECP starts for Feb 8 polls

LAHORE: The process of providing postal ballot papers has been started by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), as the country inches closer to crucial general elections slated to take place on February 8.

The electoral authority announced the development today (Saturday).

All eligible individuals, according to the ECP, will complete the process of casting their votes by January 22 through the postal ballot paper.

They can download an application form for the postal ballot from the electoral authority's website.

Upon receiving the postal ballot, the voter shall then send his vote to the Returning Officer (RO) as per the prescribed time.

General elections in Pakistan are set to take place on February 8 for which the ECP's preparations are in full swing with the electoral body looking to ensure foolproof arrangements across the country.

To ensure strict security measures in place ahead of the polls, the ECP issued its "Code of Conduct for Security Personnel", warning them against bias while being on election duty.

The ECP's protocol, which excludes the Armed Forces and Civil Armed Forces, directs the law enforcement agencies (LEAs) to perform their duties in accordance with the law and within the confines of the mandate assigned to the police.

Security personnel — who will provide security for the printing and transport of ballot papers along with the polling bags — will perform their duties under Article 220 of the Constitution of Pakistan, Section 5 read with Section 193 of the Election Act, 2017.

Directing the security apparatus to cooperate with district returning officers (DROs), returning officers (ROs) and presiding officers (POs), the electoral body has stressed the need for LEAs to "remain impartial and neutral throughout the election process [...] and shall not act in favour of or against any political party or candidate in any manner whatsoever".

Underscoring the significance of ensuring a peaceful and transparent polling process, the ECP has warned security personnel against disallowing a voter to cast his/her vote